84 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



If it obeys Henry's Law, it will divide itself in a certain ratio 

 between the gas and water phases, and this ratio will remain 

 unaltered during the whole of the experiment. The emanation 

 in each phase will produce its own effect. The difference in the 

 two effects is the volume change measured. 



As each experiment lasted a month, means were devised to 

 subdivide the emanation and the gas containing it, and carry 

 on several experiments simultaneously. In this way a number 

 of interesting results were obtained. The qualitative results 

 may be first summarised. Several experiments confirmed the 

 rapid decomposition of water, and recombination of hydrogen 

 and oxygen. Hydrochloric acid is decomposed into hydrogen 

 and chlorine ; mercury absorbed the chlorine, forming a deposit 

 of mercurous chloride. Ammonia was decomposed into nitrogen 

 and hydrogen, and these gases recombined ; the amount of re- 

 combination (measured by absorbing the ammonia with calcium 

 chloride) was smaller for the same quantity of emanation than 

 of the decomposition. 



In two experiments with carbon dioxide, there was a slight 

 contraction of volume, due apparently to the action of oxygen — 

 a product of the decomposition — on mercury, while a ring of 

 carbon was deposited in appreciable quantity above the mercury 

 surface. In a third experiment an attempt was made to absorb 

 the oxygen with yellow phosphorus as fast as it was set free, 

 but the phosphorus was immediately converted into the red 

 variety. In this case, too, there was slight but steady increase 

 in volume, and the gas finally contained a small quantity of 

 oxygen mixed with a comparatively large quantity of carbon 

 monoxide. 



Starting with pure carbon monoxide, the pressure steadily 

 decreased, and the deposit of carbon was appreciable. The 

 gas at the end of the experiment contained both oxygen and 

 carbon dioxide. It would therefore appear that with both 

 oxides of carbon all possible reactions take place. 



An extremely curious result was obtained with a mixture 

 of steam and hydrogen jacketed at 130 . No decomposition 

 (which would be indicated by an increase in pressure) was 

 observed during six hours. This is the only experiment in 

 which no change was observed ; with water the change is 

 immediately noticeable. Since hydrogen and oxygen combine 

 appreciably at 130°, it can only be concluded that, if any 



